


Into The Golden Sands

by TheBramblefish



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, M/M, RoyEd Gift Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 07:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5576944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBramblefish/pseuds/TheBramblefish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a single day and night of misfortune, the kingdom of Xerxes is brought to its knees by a madman and a monster. It falls to General Roy Mustang of the young nation of Amestris to pick up the pieces of his lover, His Imperial Highness Edward Elric, the last son of the golden sands, as he buries his mother, his father, and his country. </p>
<p>A Xerxes-as-Atlantis angsty historical AU for tumblr user Naueth for the RoyEd Gift Exchange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into The Golden Sands

They tell him that the mighty nation of Xerxes fell in a single night.

Roy has been to Xerxes before, and he simply can’t believe it. When he was there, the streets were filled with golden haired, golden eyed Xerxesians, laughing and chattering as they went about their business. Roy loves visiting Xerxes, loves wandering the market districts, loves bantering with their crown prince, loves strengthening the bonds between his own fledgeling Amestris and aged, splendorous Xerxes. He has great plans for Amestris, a dream that he plans to make reality, and in his dreams he’s always had a strong ally in Xerxes, but no longer.

He stands in the same streets he’d walked just a few weeks earlier and feels the weight of an entire people on his shoulders.

The Xingese and the Ishvalans have come together with the eastern Amestrians to remove the bodies from the streets and give them proper burials in the Xerxesian tradition, but death still lingers in the air. When the fourteenth son of Xing had ventured into the palace, he had found the Imperial Heiress, Princess Trisha, in her bed, her consort Van slumped at her side. Neither drew breath. The young princes, Edward and Alphonse, have yet to be found. Roy simply can’t imagine it, can’t envision those two golden royals dead and cold, which is why he’s come.

He squares his shoulders and walks up the long stair to the imperial palace, each step heavy and loud in the unnatural silence of the city. Prince Yao is waiting for him at the top with his favorite sister, his usually smiling face somber and drawn.

“General Mustang.” He says, his voice rough with grief and exhaustion.

“Prince Yao, Princess Chang.” Roy greets them in his grandmother’s Xingese, bowing deeply at the heir to the throne and his chosen alkahestrist. “Have they been found?” He asks, and Princess Chang shakes her head, choking back a sob. She had been betrothed to Prince Alphonse, and the two had been incredibly close. It was only luck that had the princess visiting her father in Xing when Xerxes fell, else she would be missing as well.

“Not yet. We have laid the Empress and her Consort in state, and my guards are searching for any clues as to what caused… this.” Prince Yao says tiredly, and Roy nods.

“Prince Yao, may I suggest you rest for a time? I’ve brought my team with me; we can handle affairs here while you and your people rest.” He says, and the prince smiles weakly.

“Please, call me Ling, General Mustang.” He says, and Roy manages a smile in return.

“Then you must call me Roy.” He says and places one hand on Ling’s shoulder, the other dropping to May’s. “Please, rest. You’ve met Colonel Hughes; he won’t stop until he discovers what happened here. We can share this burden.” Roy says, pleading with the clearly drained royals to rest.

“Loathe though I am to admit it, you’re right. My people are exhausted, Gen- Roy. We need to rest and grieve, even if only for a few hours.” Ling says, and Roy nods firmly.

“Then do so. We’ll be here in your stead.” Ling and May both bow deeply in parting, and when they begin their descent, May’s hand is clasped tightly in Ling’s. It’s easy to forget how young the princess is in the face of her immense skill with alkahestry. It was the same for Ed when Roy first met him. Roy was only a Lieutenant-Colonel at the time, barely twenty, and Edward had been a fiery eleven year old with old eyes and the greatest skills in alchemy Roy had ever seen. When they last met, Ed had grown into a strong eighteen year old, confident in his alchemical prowess and his skills as a young leader.

Roy had delighted in debating with the crown prince, relishing their spirited arguments on alchemy, governance, and anything else that caught Ed’s fancy. This empty palace, this tomb, is far to dark and lifeless for Ed. Roy has his team comb the palace, setting out for Ed’s private quarters himself. There’s a secret door that Ed had shown him once, leading to his private alchemy study, and if Prince Edward Elric of Xerxes is anywhere, it will be there.

He walks the ghostly corridors in silence, his feet carrying him to Ed’s rooms out of habit more than anything. When he arrives, the door is open and the room has been thoroughly searched, but upon further inspection, Roy can tell that no one has discovered Ed’s study. He slips behind the tapestry and opens the door, the bright light of an alchemic reaction flaring as he does. The door swings open with a loud creak, but before Roy can enter a wrench clangs off the wall next to his head and a thin, empty voice rings out.

“Stop! Don’t come any closer!” Roy inhales sharply.

“Prince Alphonse?” He asks, and the- the suit of armor in the corner of the study jerks to its feet.

“General!” The armor cries, and Roy is suddenly filled with dread.

“Alphonse… Alphonse what happened?” He croaks, gazing in horror at the empty suit of armor. It’s a soul transmutation, he’s sure of it.

“Oh General, it- it was-” Alphonse breaks off with an empty sob, and Roy slips into the study, crossing the room quickly to place a comforting hand on Alphonse’s metal forearm.

“Alphonse, is Edward- is Ed alive?” He asks, and Alphonse nods weakly.

“He’s- come see.” His voice has a strange, ringing quality to it, echoing off the insides of the armor and highlighting the fact that Alphonse Elric, prince and philosopher, has nothing left but his soul. He leads Roy into the small room off the main study, opening the sturdy wooden door with a soft whisper.

“Winry? It’s General Mustang, from Amestris.” He says, and Roy hears the brush of fabric on the ground, then the door is thrown open.

“Oh thank the gods.” Lady Winry cries out, throwing her arms around Roy’s neck. She pulls him into the room and when he manages to get a good look at her, she’s a fright. Her hair is messy, her clothes hang limply off her form, and her eyes are red and puffy from crying. Behind her, on the bed where Roy once gave himself fully to Edward, is his lover. He’s unconscious, face drawn and tight with pain, but his chest rises and falls steadily. The blanket covering him falls strangely, and Roy realizes with a shock that Ed’s right arm and left leg are gone.

“It was the dwarf in the flask.” Alphonse says lowly.

“The homunculus?” Roy asks. It had been the pride of Xerxes, a piece of the gate of truth trapped in a flask and bound to the king’s will. It had taken a young slave, number twenty-three, and made him one of the greatest alchemists in the world, Van Hohenheim. Roy can’t imagine the tiny cloud of black dust bringing a mighty and ancient nation to it’s knees in just one night.

“Our grandfather the king was obsessed with immortality. He commanded the homunculus to show him the secret of eternal life, to create a philosopher’s stone. That monster sacrificed our people for his own selfish goals, and loosed and even greater monster on our people.” Alphonse says, and his voice is deadly sharp, full of anger and hard edges.

“Alphonse?” he asks, and the prince slams an empty fist against the wall.

“It used us, dragged us into the circle and slaughtered our people. My body was taken by the gate; Ed sacrificed his leg to bind my soul to this armor and used the stone our grandfather made to return Winry’s soul to her body. The gate took his arm as the price for what it showed him” The Lady Winry stifles a sob as Alphonse speaks, her hands trembling in her lap.

“It was awful.” She whispers. “The worst pain I’ve ever known. Ed did something, while we were in the gate. He broke the homunculus somehow, beat him, but it wasn’t enough. I heard my countrymen screaming. They- Ed released them, let them pass on, but I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to leave him and Al all alone.” Her head jerks up to meet Roy’s gaze and hot tears are spilling down her cheeks.

“I didn’t know- I didn’t know it would take their souls to bring me back, I didn’t know! I’m so sorry!” She wails, and Roy is struck wordless by her confession. Ed, his lover, passed through the gate of truth. He committed the taboo, and he paid the price, on top of the death of his country.

“Lady Winry, it’s-” Roy chokes on his words, because it’s not okay. His lover is pale and weak. Alphonse and Winry are clearly traumatized by what happened to them in the gate, and both are wracked with guilt at the price Ed paid to save them.

“We’re all that’s left, aren’t we?” Winry says softly, and Roy nods.

“Why did you bring him here?” He asks, and Winry wipes roughly at her tears.

“We wanted him to feel safe when he woke up. We- we didn’t know what would happen, to us or to Xerxes.” She says, and Roy is reminded that she’s barely an adult by Xerxes’ standards, only just turned eighteen.

“Prince Ling Yao of Xing and his sister Princess May Chang are here, as well as the High Priest of Ishval and the Nameless Brother. They’ve seen to it that your people were given burials. Your mother and father have been laid in state, but your grandfather’s body hasn’t been found. Xing, Ishval, and Amestris are all in agreement; Xerxes’ borders have been closed permanently.” He says.

It’s hard, explaining to these three that their allies have spent the last three days burying a nation, but it has to be done. Their people might be gone, but with the King and the Princess dead, Ed is the ruler of Xerxes.

“We’ve been searching for you since the- since that day. Now that we’ve found you, we’ll let Ed make the decision about what will happen to Xerxes.” Roy says solemnly, glancing down at Ed.

“Let the sands bury it.” His lover rasps the words, his eyes slitting open.

“Ed!” Roy cries in unison with Winry and Al. Ed’s eyes are bright with pain and anger.

“Xerxes is dead.” He says roughly as he attempts to sit up.

“Ed, don’t you’ll hurt yourself!” Winry gasps and gently pushes the King of Xerxes back into his bed.

“I mean it.” Ed says, and Roy can hear the catch in his voice, the way his rage is mingled with loss. “Xerxes was murdered. We’re the only three left, aren’t we?” He asks, and Alphonse nods. “Three people don’t make a country.” Ed turns his face away, golden hair hiding his expression as he stares at the wall. His voice is rough, and Roy can see the glimmer of tears on his cheek.

“We should leave this place, let the desert take it back. Xerxes rose from the golden dust, and to dust we have returned.” He speaks the traditional words of mourning, only now he speaks them for millions of golden dead. “We will lay our people to rest, and then I’ll destroy this place with my own hands.” Ed says, and Alphonse’s shoulders shake, rattling loudly as metal meets metal.

“Okay, brother.” He says softly, and even though he can no longer cry, Roy knows his soul is weeping. “Okay.”

Alphonse carries Edward from the palace, cradling his brother in his arms while Roy and Winry walk on either side. Fuery sees them first, and darts off ahead. By the time they reach the entrance of the palace, the rescuers are waiting for them at the base of the stairs. Roy’s own company of Amestrian soldiers form neat lines, blue on black as they salute the last King of Xerxes. Beside them, the red-eyed Ishvalans have torn their clothes out of grief and respect, openly weeping as they pray for the dead. Then there’s Prince Yao and his Xingese companions, faces drawn and their usually bright garb devoid of all red as they mourn for Xerxes.

Roy nods at the Prince and High Priest, and as Alphonse passes, they join the procession with their highest ranking companions. When they reach Roy’s tent, Alphonse sets Ed gently down on the bed and May rushes to his side, her daggers already flying as she sets to healing what she can of Ed’s wounds. The High Priest of Ishval kneels beside a clearly shaken Winry and starts speaking to her in low tones, his Nameless Brother standing silently behind her in support. Ling and his two masked guards are watching May work, and Maes and Riza are waiting patiently behind Roy to give their reports. When May is finally finished, Alphonse helps his brother sit up, his metal hands massive against Ed’s small form.

“What happened here can never get out.” He finally says. “I’m telling you so you can keep it from happening in your own countries, but unless you want to end up like us, tell no one.” He gazes sightlessly at the far wall of the tent, his golden eyes blank.

“The King of Xerxes committed the taboo.” A chorus of gasps and oaths rises, but Ed pays them no heed.

“He trapped a homunculus known as the Dwarf in the Flask and bound it to him. He used this creature to seek immortality, and did so at the cost of his people. My grandfather deliberately murdered his people to gain immortality. I have sealed the homunculus back into the gate and destroyed the Philosopher’s Stone which was created during the reaction.”

“Ed…” Ling says the name softly, but Ed doesn’t acknowledge him.

“I am the Last King of Xerxes. We three are all that’s left. My only act as king is this; I will sink this nation into the golden sands, and destroy the array created by the homunculus. Xerxes is dead. The least I can do as her king is give her a proper burial.”

* * *

 

Ed is true to his word. As soon as he’s well enough they depart; it’s been decided they’ll head west, to Ishval for now. Once there Winry will be able to fit Ed with automail so he can begin the process of publicly abdicating his throne; he’s determined to do it standing on his own, and no one can deny him his request. As soon as they reach the border, Ed has Al help him out of the carriage; he’s unable to ride as he usually does, another thing lost to his grandfather’s madness.

The two princes stand together at the border of their country, Winry still and pale beside them. With his remaining hand, Ed draws a circle in the golden sands and presses his fingers lightly to the edge. There’s a moment of silence as the blue light of Xerxesian alchemy flares and then a distant roar like thunder. The ground shakes, and Roy gasps as a massive cloud of dust kicks up on the horizon. The storm of golden sand shrieks towards them, and Roy glances down at Ed; his lover is staring blankly at the wall of dust racing at him. Behind him, Roy can hear the anxious muttering and shuffling steps of his men, but he stands his ground, gesturing wordlessly for them to do the same.

“Edward…” he mutters, and Ed jerks his golden eyes up to meet Roy’s, then turns back to the dunes.

“We’re safe.” He says tonelessly. True to his word, the storm never hits them. It comes close, a wall of jagged rocks and gritty sand, but mere inches from Ed’s fingertips it dies abruptly. The silence in the aftermath of the storm is deafening; where distant towns were once visible, there are only endlessly expanses of golden sand left. Edward has erased all traces of his own country in a matter of minutes. When Roy looks down at him, he can see the tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I- Ed. I’m here.” Roy finally manages, because there’s nothing else he can say when his lover has just buried his entire nation.

“Xerxia perditas fuit; pulvis et umbra sumus. Requiescat in pace.” Ed whispers; it’s High Xerxesian, a language Roy has only heard in passing, used only by the royal family on certain occasions. Roy knows Ed and Al will never speak it again.

Roy thinks that if he lives for five hundred years he will never forget what he saw here. He’ll never be able to forget the empty streets, the empty space where Ed’s limbs and Al’s body should be, the empty look in their eyes. He and Al help Ed back into the carriage, Al ducking inside along with him and Roy squeezing his hand once before closing the door. The two brothers and Winry need to be alone now, need to mourn their loss. It’s something private, something Roy has no part in, something he’ll never understand.

“Roy.” Ed’s voice reaches him before he closes the door completely, and he leans into the carriage just enough to see Ed. “I- I need to be- right now I-” Roy nods in understanding.

“You need to be with Alphonse and Winry right now.” He says, and Ed nods sadly.

“There. There’s stuff we have to do. I never really believed it before, but- but they deserve the- the prayers. We have to- we have to honor them, because we’re the only ones who can.” He says roughly, and Roy reaches in and grips Ed’s hand.

“I know, Edward. I’ll be here when you need me.” He says, and Ed nods.

“I know.” He says softly, and leans forward, just enough for Roy to close the distance between their lips. Roy can practically taste Ed’s grief. His cheeks are wet and his lips are chapped, and he kisses Roy desperately, like he may never see him again. Roy returns the kiss with all the passion and support he can muster, and when they part Ed manages a weak smile.

“You’ll be here?” Ed finally breathes, and Roy nods.

“Always, I swear it.” He says firmly, and Ed’s shoulders slump with relief.

“Always.” He repeats, and when his eyes meet Roy’s again there’s a soft glow to them; a tiny spark of determination. It’s nothing like the blazing fire that used to hold Roy captive, but it’s still there.

It’s weak and battered and grieving, but it’s still there.


End file.
